The seven years war between France, Britain, and Spain ended with a British victory, but brought the country to the brink of bankruptcy, with a whopping £60 million debt. In response, the monarch of Britain, King George lll taxed the colonies on certain goods, such as oil, glass, sugar, tea, and stamps. This affected the higher ups the hardest, which meant that it got a lot of attention, and colonists felt like they shouldn’t have to pay a tax for a war they didn’t want (Despite the debt being from trying to protect the colonies). Thus, the idea of revolution became increasingly popular. The king failed to decrease tensions, and the rebels began arming themselves, beginning the American Revolutionary War and eventually, the independence of the colonies from Britain on July 4th, 1776.